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Newton might have critics, but some say Gabbert isn't special


mav1234

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Steve Wyche has a piece up on NFL.com on Gabbert (and a bit on Newton):

I've recently spoken to scouts and coaches who simply haven't been blown away by Gabbert. In their film evaluation of Gabbert, I was told there is just nothing special that jumps out. He's good. Nobody is saying he can't play. It's just that typically, a top quarterback takes over a game or two, leads some signature drives and, at times, looks like the best player on the field, one person said. You just don't see that with Gabbert, he added.

When I asked if Gabbert's 16 touchdowns to nine interceptions was problematic, I was told many talent evaluators aren't looking at it closely. The feeling is there are a variety of reasons why touchdown numbers could be low, or that interception numbers could be unimpressive.

...

I have yet to be told that Gabbert and Newton don't project to be great players. No one has that crystal ball. I'm regularly told that each has tremendous upside and the skills to function at a high level for years. That, frankly, might be enough for most teams. Although if teams draft a quarterback in the top 10, they want him to produce -- or at least show signs of it -- right away.

As one coach said, "That's what we're here for. To coach them up and make them better."

The varied opinions on Gabbert and Newton are very interesting. They are really all over the place, and it's what makes this so different than the recent drafts. Opinions on Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Matthew Stafford, Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez and even Josh Freeman were all for the most part favorable leading up to the draft. That was especially true with with Stafford and Bradford, the first overall picks in their respective drafts.

You just have to wonder that if Gabbert or Newton were in the draft with any of those players - or even if Stanford's Andrew Luck had entered this draft -- if either would be under consideration as a top-10 pick.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/09000d5d81f09839/article/newton-might-have-critics-but-some-say-gabbert-isnt-special?module=HP_cp2

No real surprises there, and all part of the reason neither should go #1. Though I personally thought that Gabbert breaking the back of the Sooners in the 4th quarter with two touchdowns drives was kinda nice, but he didn't do it alone.

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I have yet to be told that Gabbert and Newton don't project to be great players. No one has that crystal ball. I'm regularly told that each has tremendous upside and the skills to function at a high level for years. That, frankly, might be enough for most teams. Although if teams draft a quarterback in the top 10, they want him to produce -- or at least show signs of it -- right away.

You just have to wonder that if Gabbert or Newton were in the draft with any of those players - or even if Stanford's Andrew Luck had entered this draft -- if either would be under consideration as a top-10 pick.

These are the parts that I liked more than anything. Everybody on all sides of the argument needs to read this article.

The point that I take away from reading that is that neither one is a home run pick, but that both have the potential to be one. It seems that most posters in the QB threads view it one of three ways, a) QB1 is a sure fire home run and QB2 sucks balls, b) both QBs suck donkey balls or c) fug it Jimmy sucks, we have to draft one of them.

Both A and B are categorically wrong. Both Cam and Gabbert are good QB prospects at this point, both have the potential to be very good NFL QBs but neither are slam dunk picks. (And yes, there have been slam dunk QBs coming our of college.)

Option C is a perfectly valid opinion, it is just one that I don't happen to share. I think we still have potential in our current QB corps. I don't see the need to spend the number 1 pick on a position when we don't even know what we have there already. We know we have jackpoo at DT and there is a guy sitting right there who is as much of a slam dunk as any DT (excluding Suh) coming out in recent memory.

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I think Newton has the potential to be special. I don't see that at all in Gabbert. If the choice is between those two, I can't imagine why any team would choose the guy with less potential just because he is viewed as "safer."

I'd rather swing for the fences and strike out than hit the ball 5 feet. At least if Cam is a bust we'll know within 3-4 years and can move on. If Gabbert turns out to be Kyle Orton then we're almost stuck with him for the next decade, having invested the 1st overall pick in a guy we can't win a SB with.

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Have you even watched him play? I seriously don't know how anyone can watch this guy on the field and say such a thing. I can understand if you don't think he's the right pick, but the guy has dominated every level he's played at and has all the physical tools to do so in the NFL as well.

A side show act? Hardly.

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Have you even watched him play? I seriously don't know how anyone can watch this guy on the field and say such a thing. I can understand if you don't think he's the right pick, but the guy has dominated every level he's played at and has all the physical tools to do so in the NFL as well.

A side show act? Hardly.

I've been saying this guy isn't a 1st round QB all off-season. I literally can not understand how he is even in the consideration for #1. Before Luck wen't back he wasn't even in the conversation in the 1st round (probably not even in the 2nd). I was debating whether we should take Newton over Luck because I believe he has more upside (I still would have went Luck but its not like Newton came out of nowhere). Gabbert just doesn't impress me where it counts, on the field.

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